Answers to Ask Me Anything

Well, it's the day after Christmas(post below) and I said that I'd do this post today, so here it is.

The questions are asked by Arda, James, and Solace(thank you for asking! :D) 

What do you do to prepare for auditions? 
Well, the first thing I do it make sure I know what I'm supposed to be doing for the audition. Do they want me just to show up, do a monologue of a certain length, or a song of a specific length, or even a cold reading from the script? After I know what they want to see, I make sure it has relevance to the part I am trying out for. For example, if I am auditioning for an angry, troubled character I will do a monologue or song that exemplifies that trait. For singing, my singing teacher and I choose a song that shows off my main talents and ability to do technically difficult pieces . If they want a monologue of a song, I practice it in front of a mirror until I have it down. If they plan on doing a cold reading and I don't have the script, I try to at least watch the film and get an idea of how the character is(and how I would say the line- I never copy how an actor does something when I'm trying out for the same role). And when I show up, I am hopefully called back or cast(I haven't auditioned in a while, though :( ).

How to you find/pick a song and/or monologue?

Finding a monologue is the bane of the person auditioning's existence! Truly, it is. It is near impossible to find a good monologue online(they are either childish, full of the F word, or are Shakespeare). I would recommend using a monologue book(you can buy those online) or even taking a paragraph from play(if they say you can and they want a short one). 

For songs, my singing teacher and I look at what I've learned and choose one I've done recently that fits the part and shows off my talents, especially the ones they are looking for. If I'm trying out for a nice, innocent girl, I'd use a song that showed the softer side of my singing voice, and we'd probably go with a introspective or romantic piece. Recently, when I tried out for Once Upon A Mattress, I sang "Good Morning Baltimore" (A Capella, mind you, which means without music), since the character I was auditioning for was a belter and I sing in my chest voice the entire song. It is important for an actor to create a song portfolio so that finding a song is much easier. 

Are there any stories that you would like to see a musical version of?

Since there is already a Harry Potter musical, I'd love to see a Star Wars musical( A GOOD one of course) since it is, after all, a space opera(that isn't what space opera means, but yeah, couldn't resist XD). Lord of the Rings would be amazing too to see as would The Hobbit(they could use the amazing "Song of the Lonely Mountain". Anything, if done right, could be made into a good musical. Just look at Wicked and es Miserables :) 

What is your opinion of 3D?
I enjoy 3D when done right, such as with Avatar and Hugo. However, I don't like how, now days, almost all movies are made into 3D. I think that should only be done when it's got a reason to be, especially since a lot of people, especially older ones, can't see the images as well in 3D as in 2D.

What Star Wars novel do you most want adapted into a movie/TV series?








I'd love to see a movie/TV seires based off the Jedi Apprentice series, the Jedi Quest series, Secrets of the Jedi, Young Jedi Knights series, Junior Jedi Knights series, Wild Space, Shatterpoint, and Legacy of the Jedi. It would be awesome to see such characters as a young Obi-Wan, Siri Tachi, Jaina Solo, Anakin Solo, Tahiri Veila, etc. It would definitely be a dream come true!! :D :D To see characters such as Siri and Jaina on the big screen would make me jump up and down in excitement. Hopefully, if that did happen, I could have a role.  I'd also love to see a film version completely like the Revenge of the Sith novel(using Ewan and Hayden in their roles, of course). I'd love that!!! :D :D 



What other novel do you want adapted into a movie?



            Ever since I first read this series, I've wanted to see them be turned into movies. They are by the author of The Hunger Games trilogy and I find this series to be superior to that trilogy, so I don't understand why they haven't been made into films- they would be amazing movies. 






     The Chaos Walking trilogy would also make wonderful films- they are an example of what good science fiction for Teen's should be; it has an extremely original idea, and very complex characters which would make for wonderful movies with the right director, writers, and actors(I'd totally play Viola if I could) :) 





          Both my sister and I agree that these books would make awesome movies(we've decided we'd both work on these movies together as directors). The story has two very cool characters and a great plot- plus the whole idea of an alternate history of WWI makes for an interesting ride. 

Other books I'd like to see as movies are the Abhorsen trilogy, the Seventh Tower series, Sea of Trolls trilogy, The House of the Scorpion, Power of Five series, and of course, my own books! :D XD I'd say Ender's Game but since they're already making a film of it, I won't be able to(YAY!) 


What change from the Harry Potter books to movies do you consider the worst?
Pretty much everything in the fourth movie- they cut out a lot of things, such as the Quidditch World Cup, S.P.E.W, and the development of Hermione and Ron which I didn't like- the fourth book had been my favorite at the time, so I was very disappointed with the movie. I also don't like how they changed the Quidditch match in the third movie- in the book, Cedric caught the snitch when Harry fell(and offered to replay the match since he didn't feel it was fair), but in the movie that didn't happen. Another thing I didn't particularly like was that it was Cho who told on Dumbledore's Army instead of it being her friend, like it was in the book. 
Oh, and Fred's death in the movie was so LAME! In the book it's very well done and sad(since it happens right next to Harry) but in the movie it's real quick and you don't feel sad about it. 


What is your favorite video game?

Well, for a start, I really love the Lego Star Wars games as well as the Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings ones. Clone Wars: Republic Heroes is also totally awesome and a game I love playing it!! I pretty much love all the Star Wars games I've played(as well as the Harry Potter computer games). Other games I've really enjoyed playing were Little Big Planet(which I've played with my friends on their Playstation) and Infamous(which I played a little at my friend's house- it was such a fun game and I loved climbing buildings and blasting people with lightning*the good guy character's lightning was cooler than the bad guy, in fact*) 

How did you start becoming a Harry Potter fan?

I'm sure you'll all be surprised by this, but before I read the books, I didn't like Harry Potter for some reason(I think it was because I was jealous because I wanted to have powers). However, my parents convinced me to give it a try, so I asked my aunt to give to be for my ninth birthday. My dad started reading to my sister and I and we fell in love with it on the first chapter. And, well, the rest is history. 

What are you most excited to see in the next Hobbit movie?
Since not everyone has read the book, I won't spoil anything, but I'll say I AM looking forward to the climax at the end- that should be pretty awesome to behold. :D 

What are the best moments in your life?

Hmm, good question. I'm not going to say anything typical since the little things in life aren't the best moments in my life for me(though I do appreciate them a lot). For me, I'd say

Performing. I love the sensation of becoming another person, of stepping into their lives and exploring who they are and getting to interact with others(interacting with other actors is something I truly love and I wish I could do it more often). Acting is definitely something that makes me happy and while it can be stressful at times, many of the best moments of my life happened when I was performing. Having people you don't know, even months after your performance, coming up to you and telling you how much they enjoyed seeing you, is something that just so wonderful. The best performances for me were- Pepper in Annie, The Red Queen in Through the Looking Glass, Peter Pevensie in The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, the second(of three) Wickersham brothers in Suessical, soloist in Godspell, and one of the girls in the film I made with some of my old friends. Such good memories :)

Being with my friends- whether it was playing Robin Hood, Star Wars, making films, or just talking with friends of long ago or chatting/emailing with my friends from now, it is something I enjoy greatly. I don't have many friends, but the times I do have with them are important to me and definitely are some of the best moments of my life. I am very thankful for the memories and for the fact that I can connect with people online.

Celebration VI - That was definitely one of the best moments of my life- never have I fit in completely in a group of people. Typically at places like this, I stand out and people find me odd, but at Celebration, we are the normal ones and we aren't outcasts. There truly is a place for us :)

Writing - Besides acting, this is a way for me to get into other's people's heads and discover things about them. Finishing a book, or even just a difficult scene, is something that I love and crafting characters that feel as real as actual people is such a gratifying feeling. Creating stories is something I've always loved doing and is something I will continue to do.

What did you want for Christmas this year?

Jedi Apprentice books(after Christmas at my Mom's side of the family, I will have the entire series, YES!), others books, action figures, and the like. I got quite a few good presents(I'll do a post after I have Christmas at my Mom's side of the family).

And of course, I've love to be in a movie, TV show, or play and to have my books published(and made into films with me as the main character).

Thank you all for participating in this and for the questions- they were all really good ones :).

May the Force be with you....Always

Jedi Shena Tokala signing out 

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas! :D

Happy Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Solstice, Yuletide, Saturnalia, Festivus or anything else you celebrate! And if you don't celebrate anything, I hope you have a good day. Oh, and Happy Life Day! :D



So, since the Fourth Week of Advent kind of submerges into Christmas, I thought I'd post my favorite Christmas song- Carol of the Bells, especially the Trans-Siberian Orchestra version(Christmas in Sarajevo).





Oh, and here's some Star Wars vids to my favorite carol! :D





So, I've had a good Christmas so far- I got some neat presents(which you'll see in a later post since I want to wait till after my Christmas with my Mom's side of the family) such as Jedi Apprentice books, the first season of Merlin, books, and the like :D. I made white chocolate fudge and it turned out really well- which is pretty good considering it's my first time. I hope everyone has had a good day and that you enjoy yourselves.
May the Force Be With You and Happy Life Day! :D
Maegen

"The Hobbit" Movie Review

LOVED this song! :D

WARNING: Spoilers
Wow, what an amazing film! :D The critics didn't like the film all that much but then, what do they know, they didn't care for the Star Wars Prequels either and those movies were amazing.
I was pretty sure I'd love The Hobbit and I wasn't disappointed- Peter Jackson yet again delivered another amazing installment in Middle Earth.
        The film was lighter than the LOTR but that was to be expected and in fact I enjoyed the setting- it was light but had their sense of foreboding, of something dark coming, which sets up nicely with the approaching dark times we see in Lord of the Rings.
       My top favorite things about this film were the characters, the plot, the action, and the humor, so I will discuss each of those below.

The plot: The story, from what I remember of the book(I was twelve-thirteen when I read the book), followed the original story line pretty well(of course, it was embellished at points), especially during the Riddle scene. The film really makes you feel for the Dwarfs and how they feel lost and despondent because of what they lost- especially the lost, wandering prince Thorin Oakenshield.
         I loved the opening with Bilbo(as Ian Holm) writing down the story of his adventure and how it goes to narrating the fall of the Dwarf homeland. Another thing I really enjoyed about the beginning was the Frodo cameo- it was great to see Frodo again :). I really like how the story ties in various threads of Middle Earth lore and mythology- I especially enjoyed seeing the Ring Wraiths. I also loved the ending- it definitely had me smiling- in fact, I smiled quite a lot during the film :D.
The Riddle scene was great- it followed the chapter in the book really well(also, I guessed Smeagol's first two riddles before the answers were given!).

The characters: Wow, such great characters!! :D I'm a bit of a character obsessee for I always enjoy good characters and this movie definitely has them :D.  While I enjoyed all the characters, I'd have to say my favorites were - Bilbo, Thorin, Kili, and Gandalf.
        I'm going to begin with Bilbo Baggins, the hero of the film- Matrin Freeman was the perfect choice for the role. He impressed me greatly with his acting abilities and I enjoyed seeing his character grow over the course of the story from superstitious and jumpy to the hero he was all along. In fact, some of my favorite parts include Bilbo's heroism such as when he saved Thorin(by freaking BODY SLAMMING an orc!) in a demonstration of the small saving the mighty(which is something I absolutely love seeing). His character arc was so good and I loved seeing it. And, strangely, I found myself identifying with him. He is definitely a hero and I can't wait to see more of this awesome guy! :D
           I also really enjoyed Thorin and his character journey. When we first see him, he immediately caught my attention as one awesome guy- his duels, fighting, and eventual devastation at everything he and his people lost really strike home and you can truly see the sadness and despair he feels and it was easy for me to sympathize with him. His fight scenes were awesome and the part where we learn how he got his name sake 'Oakenshield' is very awesome(any guy who can fend off a powerful orc warrior with only a piece of an oak branch definitely earns my respect) My favorite parts with him were the scene where he admitted to Bilbo that he was wrong about him (I've never been more wrong)- that part definitely made me smile and really brought this character to a good place at the end of the film. I can't wait to see more of this guy in the next film as well :D
                Gandalf was...well, Gandalf the Awesome(I mean Gray, of course XD). Ian McKellan was wonderful, as always, in his role and really brought his character to life(hey, did anyone catch him bumping his head like he did in FOTR? XD). My favorite scenes with Gandalf have to be when he was talking to Galadriel and admitted that he was afraid and that Bilbo gave him courage, as well as his views on what holds the darkness at bay- common kindness and the normal, everyday people. I love that, while Middle Earth is full of awesome and powerful warriors, it is almost always the regular, deemed 'unimportant' person that ends up the hero and saves the day(Same, Frodo, Bilbo, Merry, Pippin, etc). I also enjoyed the marvelous scene with him, Galadriel, Elrond, and Saruman talking(and Gandalf's little trick, Mwhaha); the parts that foreshadowed Sauron's return were also really cool and I enjoyed them :)
                 The dwarfs were all great, but by favorite, along with Thorin, would have to be Kili and Balin. I love Kili because he is quite funny, really good with weapons, and very handsome to boot(he kind of reminds me of the guy I like in how he looks) As for Balin, I enjoyed how wise he was and how he helped Bilbo and others out. I can't wait to see more of these two guys(especially Kili, HA! XD)
     
             The action, was of course, amazingly done! :D The fight scenes, especially the one at the end, were very dramatic, well done, and very exciting. I especially loved how, at the battle by the tree, everything was surrounded my flames and everything was going slowly; Thorin looked so epic as he emerged from the flames, eyes smarting from the cruel words of the orc who mocked him about his father. Another fight scene I really enjoyed watching was the flashback of Thorin fighting the White Orc and how he used a piece from an oak tree to protect himself- I was sitting there the entire time thinking 'this guy is amazing!' The action is going to be great in the next two films, especially the Battle of Five Armies :)

                 The humor. I actually wasn't expecting this, but I laughed quite a lot during this film. I didn't really care for the little bit of potty humor but it wasn't all that much, so it is easy to look over, since the rest of it is so good. The best parts would have to be when, at the beginning, all the dwarfs are coming in and Bilbo's freaking out while trying to be polite about it(and getting annoyed with their loudness, which is what I'd be doing too XD) and when there talking about the dwarfs having parasites(that was just hilarious!! XD). There wasn't much humor in LOTR so I was surprised at how much was in The Hobbit but, as I said above, it fits the mood splendidly.

So, I would definitely say, if you love the Lord of the Rings trilogy, or just fantasy in general, that you go watch this movie. You won't be disappointed :D
And if you've already seen the film, what did you think of it? :)

Oh and if you would, you should check out the post below(I'm doing a question/answer thing) :)
May the Force be with you...Always
Jedi Shena Tokala signing out

Ask me Anything.

If you have any questions you'd like to ask me(it can be about anything- me, fandoms, acting, writing, life, politics, religion- just remember to be polite) feel free to leave some in the comment section and I will answer them as soon as there are several(it might be before or after Christmas). 
Thanks :D
Shena Tokala
May the Force Be With You...Always :) 

Third Week of Advent

Happy Third Week of Advent! :)
Before I continue the post, I'd like to express a moment of silence for all of those effected by the Connecticut shooting. I hope this will help the Government put forth some more restrictions on guns and to build Mental Hospitals for those who need it with our Health Care.



I'll be posting my favorite Christmas song next week, but I'll give you a hint, it's by this group(who I saw in concert). I love this song, it makes me think of the Leviathan trilogy :D



I know the band has a weird name, but I love their music :)



One of my favorite traditional Christmas carols :)



Another traditional one I like :)



Such a beautiful song- I did this one a couple of years ago at my church for Advent :)

Movie Trailers for upcoming films

Here are some movie trailers for some films I want to see :) Tell me what you think in the comments below :)



The Hobbit: Such awesomeness! I absolutely love the Lord of the Rings trilogy and I can't wait to see the film rendition of The Hobbit (which I read several years ago). It looks amazing and its sure to be one of the best fantasy films ever. :D



Les Miserables: I am so excited to see this film! I absolutely loved the novel and I've really enjoyed listening to the wonderful songs from the musical recently(I want to see the musical so much). It's an amazing story with great characters and I am so looking forward to seeing it sometime after Christmas. I also really, really want to play Eponine(the dark haired girl in the trailer with Marius who appears a little later in the trailer) in the musical someday(though I'd also like to be Cosette or even Enjolras). This film is definitely going to be a classic. :D



Iron Man 3: When I saw this trailer, it definitely got me excited for the film. It is definitely going to be good :)




Man of Steel: After seeing the cheesy films of Superman made a long time ago, I didn't really think I'd ever like that superhero all that much. However, this film looks really good and interesting and I'm looking forward to seeing it :) What do you think of this trailer?



Star Trek Into Darkness: While I'm a Star Wars, I still really loved the most recent Star Trek film and this sequel looks like it will be good. Can't wait to see more :)

Second Week of Advent

Okay, so the problem with pictures on my blogger isn't going to be fixed until the first of the year, so a lot of posts will be pushed back a few weeks. Just thought I'd let you know :)

Here are some more Christmas song favorites(you'll see my favorite on the fourth week)  :)







Enjoy :)